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Design Optimization For Metal Fabrication

Published Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Complex Metal structure that required a complex design.

When it comes to metal fabrication, design optimization is paramount. It plays a huge part in how easy it will be for the fabricator to translate the design into a product. Not only that, but it’ll also help the fabricator understand the full capacity of what your project requires. Design optimization will help you meet your metal fabrication expectations while considering other factors that influence the quality, cost, and time during production. In this post, you will learn various ways of optimizing your design for metal fabrication along with the importance of optimizing your designs. 

The Importance of Design Optimization

In metal fabrication, design optimization helps with:

  • Streamlining production
  • Maximizing process efficiency
  • Decreasing waste during production
  • Guaranteeing product quality
  • Reducing the time and cost associated with product assembly

Ways to Optimize Your Design

  1. Involve The Fabricator Early 

By involving the fabricator early in the design process, you will take a lot of load off of your shoulders. The fabricator will let you know if the design is practical, recommend the appropriate materials, and even the best way of producing your product. It’ll also give them a chance to inform you of what can be done and what can’t. Your fabricator is the expert, so you should listen to them for design optimization. 

  1. Avoid Unnecessary Information 

As you create your design, avoid unnecessary details that could potentially cloud the design. If deciphering your fabrication design has become somewhat of a puzzle for your fabricator, it may delay and even increase the cost of production. More mistakes could be made because of unwanted details. So, consult with your fabricator to distinguish between the important and unnecessary details. 

  1. Wisely Consider The Metal Options

When designing a product, you have many metal alloys to choose from. Choosing the right metal in metal fabrication contributes to design optimization. Different alloys meet different needs and can withstand different types of force, heat, or corrosion. By selecting the right metal, you will help drastically decrease costs and make the fabrication process simpler.

In some applications, you may require resilient metals capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, corrosive substances, or force. However, such metals are expensive and difficult to use. In the case that the product is not meant to be exposed to extreme conditions, you can rely on common metal alloys. Besides, to choose the right metal, you need to understand the function of the product and the forces it will need to withstand. 

  1. Choose the right company 

Finding the right fabricator for your project is invaluable. You should go for a company that can deliver quality machined parts on time. Also, consider other qualities such as the scale and type of fabrication the company offers. This will tell you how suitable the company is for your project. In some cases, a company may not offer some services because they lack the machinery or the necessary experience.Simply speaking, do research on the metal fabrication company before you consult with them on future projects.

Conclusion – Design Optimization With VeriForm

Design optimization is an intricate process in metal fabrication. So, the best way you can optimize your metal fabrication design is by working with a team of experts. At VeriForm, you will get over two decades of experience and skills fabricating parts in stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel and more. They also have in-house engineers that can cooperate with you to create the desired designs without having you optimize them yourselves. So, if you need help optimizing your design for a metal fabrication project, contact VeriForm today for more information.